The Northern Lights..

On Wednesday night, the Icelandic Met Office Aurora forecast was ‘Severe’. This was as high as the scale goes and I’d never seen it at anything above ‘Very Active’. I’m not sure why they should use the word ‘severe’ when talking about the aurora but I guess it must have something to do with the potential for disruption to communications that comes with solar flares.

The weather here in Iceland had been awful all day. But ever hopeful, after dinner I set off for Grotta Lighthouse in the west of Reykjavik. As I pulled into the car park and looked up, the clouds parted momentarily to give me a taste of what might be before closing in again. The rain started and I thought that was it. My one chance at a really decent show of the Aurora Borealis and the weather was not playing ball.

On a hunch, I left Grotta Lighthouse (to be honest I wasn’t too happy with the level of orange sodium light pollution from the city) and I set of for the most westerly point I could think of that wasn’t too far out from Reykjavik. The point I had in mind was the small town of Gardur, not far from Keflavik Airport. I knew there was a lighthouse there as well as a daymark complete with the traditional red stripes. I figured if I could get beyond the terrible weather, this would make a good foreground subject while I waited to see what a ‘severe’ show of the Northern Lights might reveal.

It rained all the way to Keflavik, it was only as I pulled into Gardur that the rain appeared to be stopping. I drove through a town all tucked up for the night to the lighthouse and daymark where, not surprisingly, I found several photographers with tripods set and looking skyward hopefully.

I couldn’t get near the daymark for the other photographers so I set up on the beach and waited. It wasn’t long before the clouds thinned and I could see stars. Shortly thereafter, I was witness to one of nature’s most mesmerizing light shows. It started quite gently, just along the beach..

And went on from there..It wasn’t long before it started to rain again. It was about 1am and I was considering heading home as indeed the other photographers appeared to be doing. I hung back though, once again on a hunch and waited. The skies cleared shortly thereafter and with the ‘competition’ gone, I could finally set up the shot I’d had in my mind’s eye before arriving in Gardur.

What I hadn’t bargained for was quite how intense the light show turned out to be and I certainly hadn’t imagined being able to capture the aurora and the Milky Way in the same shot but there it was. I was so glad I hadn’t given up..

I’ve only just started going through the many photographs I took that night. These are just a few examples, I’m sure I’ll be posting more along the way. The skies were not completely clear as you can see but I was quite pleased, the clouds really added something rather than detracted I think.. :-)

Oh my Adrian, I cannot tell you how envious I am of your experience. I don’t care if you ever got a shot off (altho thankfully for those of us who follow you, you did!) but just SEEING the show must have been a life-changing moment. Absolutely breathtaking.

I’ve been to Iceland quite a few times now Tina and spent quite a few hours, well more than quite a few hours, standing in the freezing cold looking skyward in vain. I was so lucky this time. It was an amazing show. I set the camera, had the remote in one hand and sat back and enjoyed the spectacle, clicking at random, repositioning where necessary but most of all, just enjoying the experience. I just wish I’d captured some video as well but that’s for next time.. :-)

Phenomenal shots Adrian. I thought the first image was spectacular, that vivid lime contrasting with the orange on the beach, but then I saw the Milky Way. Oh wow! What a sight! Is the lighthouse lit up like that from the light in the sky? It must have been almost heart-stopping watching that light show.

Thank you Jude! The light on the daymark comes from the lighthouse proper which is about 100m behind. It was quite a night. When it got to half past two and there was a lull in the show, I decided I’d have to get to bed.. I just had to make sure I didn’t look behind me as I packed up the car. I could have been there all night but had quite a day planned for Thursday. Hopefully it’s not a once in a lifetime experience but it really did feel pretty special. :-)

Wonderful! The aurora is quite the show stopper. You have really done justice to the “out of this world” experience it is to watch the sky light up like this. Thanks so much for sharing! Glad you stuck around after everyone else left, what a payoff!

Hi Sarah, Yes I heard that the aurora was seen in the UK that night. It really was an intense show so I’m not surprised. It was a late night but getting back and seeing that I’d managed to capture what I wanted to made it all worthwhile. :-)

Oh I know exactly what you mean! I felt the same with the lunar eclipse. I think I had about 3hrs sleep that morning ;-) When you capture something that seems to sing to your soul it makes everything worthwhile!

Oh wow, these are gorgeous! I remember the first time I saw the Lights, it was magical. :D Thanks for sharing, Adrian! (PS. Now the link in your previous post worked for me as well, I hope I can join one of the workshops one day.)

Thank you Camilla! I have to agree, it’s a magical experience. It would be lovely to have you along on one of the workshops one day! :-)

October 11, 2015 at 8:18 am

lensaddiction

These shots are stunning and the last one with the green clouds and the wave of orange colour is OUTSTANDING! Good on you for sticking it out and waiting (given your challenges) and it certainly paid off. I have never seen an aurora but both that and Iceland are on my bucket list.

Thank you so much Mark. The beaches around this part of Iceland are famous (or rather infamous) for the smell of rotting sea weed which the tide piles up in huge drifts. What you see in the foreground is said sea weed reflecting orange light from the sodium street lighting. It does add an element of interest that’s for sure but not too pleasant a place to set up a tripod to shoot the Northern Lights. I was glad when the other photographers departed so I could get off the beach! :-)

Awesome captures of the Northern Lights ChillB .. what a merry dance they have led us the last few nights ;-)
Half way through our road trip and SO much more fun and photography to be enjoyed, what a time we’re having with it all !
Autumn is bursting with colour out there in the landscape , after our mammoth drive all along the coast today in subdued light – for want of a better expression – let’s hope for a break in the clouds tomorrow and a chance to catch that certain *glow we know to be there xx

Thank you so much Poppy! Sorry it’s taken so long to reply to your lovely comment but we have been rather busy.. ;-)

October 20, 2015 at 5:36 pm

poppytump

Oh yes, haven’t we just – another awesome Icelandic road trip notched up – and now all set to be busy in a different way looking through all we’ve managed to capture the last couple of weeks …. Absolutely Marvejols ! :-) xx

Thank you very much Sylvia! The Northern Lights were an incredible spectacle and it was a real pleasure to finally see them and to see them when they were so active, dancing across the sky. I wish I’d had the foresight to shoot some video as the movement is so very beautiful. Next time.. :-)

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